The Greatest Mistake
by BaronessBlixen
Summary: AU 4x21 "Daphne Hates Sherry". Daphne's watch didn't go off when it did...
1. Aftermath of a Dream

TITLE: The Greatest Mistake

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

SUMMARY: Daphne's watch went off a little later... AU 4x21 "Daphne Hates Sherry".

A/N: This is a bit more angsty (I hope). I also know many stories have already been written about this episode. Please bear with me and let me know what you think.

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"It does oscillate." Niles said. The heat seemed to play a trick on him. Was this a dream? Were Daphne and he really going to... he couldn't even finish the sentence in his head. He blamed it on the unbearable heat. His shirt stuck to his back because of it. But if he was honest then it wasn't just the actual heat; part of it was Daphne. The woman made him feel things he had never felt before. If all of this really wasn't a dream then she was propositioning him. Even if she did it with her back turned to him and still hesitant. Just the possibility that she wanted him the way he wanted her drove Niles crazy.

"What does?" Daphne breathed. She wasn't sure if she knew what she was doing. All she knew was how much she wanted this. Whatever this was. She didn't want to think. She wanted to feel, and she wanted to get rid of this fire inside of her. The fire that was burning her from the inside. Maybe Sherry had been right after all. There was something Daphne wanted to prove to herself.

"The fan." Niles answered. His voice sounded strange even in his own ears.

For a moment they were quiet. Both realized what this could mean if either of them only said the word. One of them only had to make the first move. There were so many things to consider, but neither seemed to think of them. The heat made everything impossible. Except for one thing. It invited them to play with the fire right in front of them.

"Dr. Crane..." Daphne began, finally turning to look at him. She got up from the couch, but then stopped. His eyes were unreadable, she thought. Darker than she'd even seen them. They didn't scare her, but intrigued her. Questions burned into her mind, just like they burned her body. Why now, why him? She didn't get a chance to think about them.

"Please, call me Niles." He sounded breathless, yet firm. They stared at each other. The fainting couch was the last remaining obstacle between them. Daphne knew she couldn't fight it any longer. A dangerous blend of desire, anger towards Mr. Crane and Sherry and an emotion she couldn't quite place spread through her. Quickly, she closed the distance between them. They hesitated for a second, or less, and then Niles almost threw himself at her. Their lips collided painfully. Neither cared. Caught up in the moment, their hands touched wherever they could. Sticky hands touched clinging clothes and it didn't matter.

"We need to get upstairs." Niles breathed against her lips. His eyes were closed; he was afraid to find this was nothing more than a dream. If his eyes stayed close, he was safe. Safe in Daphne's arms. He felt dizzy and he could hardly breathe. Anticipation mingled with the heat in the air. Niles knew he had to stay focused and not faint again. Daphne was pressed against him. Because of him. They needed to get to his bedroom.

"Yes." Daphne whispered back, kissing him again. She grew impatient and the kiss intensified. Her tongue fought her way inside his mouth and Niles was unprepared. Unprepared for everything that was about to happen. He ended the kiss abruptly and taking her hand, he led her upstairs.

Neither talked or wavered in their decision. Quickly, they walked up the stairs. No words were spoken. The sound of the fan died down. Niles felt the heat everywhere. It spread through him as he opened the door to his bedroom. His hands trembled with fear, or anticipation. Suddenly there were no clear distinctions anymore. Niles wanted to ask Daphne if she was sure, suddenly unsecure himself, but she was already inside waiting for him. Her eyes dared him. They lured him inside and Niles could do nothing but follow her into the bedroom.


	2. Nightmares Do Come True

_Chapter II: Nightmares Do Come True_

When Daphne woke, all she noticed was a ringing sound close by. With her eyes still closed, her hands fumbled in the darkness, not finding anything. Eventually, she opened her eyes. She found her crazily blinking watch easily on a bedside table. Only then did she realize that she was not in her bed and not even in her own home. This was a strange room, a strange bed. Immediately, she was fully awake. Daphne took the watch and stopped the alarm. Turning around, she knew she had to check if she was right; if she really was where she feared to be.

She'd only been in Dr. Crane's bedroom once before. At least she only remembered the one time. Still, she recognized it easily enough. Not only was she in his bedroom, but in his bed. And he was right there next to her. The relief she felt upon seeing he was still asleep made her feel guilty. The longer she was awake herself, the faster the memories returned to her – and with them the guilt increased. Her stomach clenched. The man next to her was Dr. Niles Crane. No matter how intensely she looked at him, or how often she told herself, the impact of it was too hard to grasp. So she continued to stare at his sleeping form. She knew him differently now, in a way. Her face felt hot just thinking about it. They shouldn't have done this, she thought bitterly.

There was no denying he looked cute when he was asleep. Almost beautiful. Daphne knew men didn't like to be called beautiful. Then again, Dr. Crane wasn't like most other men. She enjoyed seeing him like that, because she had never seen him this peaceful before. She tore herself away from the sight, before it was too late. Carefully, and as silently as possible, she got up from the bed. There was a soft squeak and her heartbeat fastened, always afraid any noise would wake him up. Luckily, he slept on. She didn't know what she would have done had he woken up. She couldn't face any questions he might ask her. There were no answers. All Daphne knew was that she had to go home and take her pills. Nothing else mattered at the moment, because she wouldn't let it. Running away wasn't a solution, but avoiding a scene was just so much easier than dealing with this mess.

Daphne found her clothes scattered around the room and put them on. Each garment provoked a memory and filled her with even more guilt. They shouldn't have done this, she thought again. This time she felt sadness and anger, because Daphne blamed herself. She'd seduced him – poor Dr. Crane! The only man who had always been nice to her. Part of her blamed Sherry though. The thought of the other woman in the Crane household immediately angered her. 'You need a man', the shrill voice still rang like a dangerous, unwanted mantra in her head. Maybe Sherry had been right, but it didn't matter. Daphne had picked the only man she felt secure around, the only man she felt she could confide to. Then when she saw him, something had possessed her. The heat in her head, the heat in her body had made him look so different. But he hadn't been a different man; still Dr. Niles Crane. Tears threatened to fall, because Daphne thought of the friendship they shared. The one she'd destroyed now.

Daphne couldn't help but look at him again before she left the bedroom. He looked so peaceful, so untouched by what had happened earlier. Just thinking about it cloaked her throat. She couldn't. Not yet. There were going to be so many repercussions and she couldn't deal with them just yet. She felt a desire to touch his face, his hair. She knew how his skin felt against hers and her fingers tingled thinking about it... Daphne stopped her train of thoughts. She had to. All of this was wrong. Once again, she tore her eyes away from the sleeping man in the bed. Finally, she left quietly. It seemed as if she'd never been there in the first place. As if all of this had just been a nightmare.

TBC


	3. Hard To Say I'm Sorry or Goodbye

_Chapter III: Hard To Say I'm Sorry... or Goodbye_

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As soon as she was safe and alone in her car, Daphne took a deep breath. Just being out of the apartment was a relief. But then she started to feel guilty for something else; she had just left. Without letting Dr. Crane – Niles – know that she was gone. Something about that nagged her. In the glove apartment, she found an old piece of paper. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do. She quickly scribbled down a note saying she had to go home, because of her thyroid pills. Daphne thought it sounded like an excuse, and in a way it was. She went upstairs again and realized she had no key. There was no way she was going to wake him. She felt cheap when she slipped the small piece of paper under the door. For a moment, she just stood there as if she was waiting for something to happen. Then she finally left for good.

On the radio, they informed the public that the heat wave was over. Daphne felt the irony of the situation; if only they would have waited. If they had distracted themselves somehow. Maybe all those feelings would have disappeared, just like the heat wave had. Daphne knew it didn't matter. She could wish for any kind of what-if, but nothing would change what had really happened. Driving home, she couldn't help but think about the night. She tried to shut out all the images. The first, passionate kiss. She should have remembered the way his lips felt against her, but she didn't. This time it had been so different. Then the moment she'd touched his skin and when they went further and... Daphne stopped herself. To distract herself, she turned the radio up. As if to make fun of her, the station played some sappy romantic song. She tried not to listen, but it wasn't easy. She couldn't wait to get home.

As it was merely 10pm, both Dr. Crane and his father were still awake and in the living room. Daphne's hope that she could just rush to her room was crushed as soon as she opened the door.

"Daphne! Finally, you're back." Dr. Crane exclaimed. He was up immediately and on his way over to her. Daphne wasn't sure if he wanted to check her for injuries, or simply hug her but she took a step back. He didn't seem to notice and engulfed her in his arms. She gasped, because he hugged her too tightly. This obvious display of affection brought tears to Daphne's eyes. If only he knew what she and his brother had done... she broke the hug and tried to smile at him, knowing that she couldn't.

"We were worried sick about you!" Mr. Crane yelled at her from his chair. Daphne felt the words as if he had hit her. The tears threatened to fall, but she swallowed them. At least for the time being. She knew she needed to be alone soon. She really didn't want to make a scene in front of these two men – and Sherry. The woman, who was partly to blame for what had happened, walked out of the kitchen. Immediately, Daphne felt the anger return to her.

"Daphne, where have you been? We were about to call the police." Sherry told her, but Daphne didn't believe her. There were so many things she wanted to throw at her verbally – and maybe even physically – but she didn't even get the chance to open her mouth.

"Damn right! You can't just storm out and then not come back!" Mr. Crane went on angrily. Daphne was surprised at how furious he was. Again, she felt the guilt bubble up inside of her. They had been worried about her as if she was truly a part of their family.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't notice the time and well, I guess I was angry. And I'm really sorry." Daphne said.

"I'm sorry, too." Sherry said with little enthusiasm. Apparently, someone had had a talk with her. Daphne almost felt like smiling. Not enough though. Too much had happened since Sherry had told her off. Daphne wasn't ready to forgive her just yet.

"Well, great, but... don't ever do that again, Daphne." Mr. Crane said. His voice, as well as his face, had already softened.

"I won't, Mr. Crane. Now I really need to take me pills, excuse me." Daphne meant to flee to her room, finally, but Dr. Crane stopped her. His fingers encircled her arm softly. Her heart was beat faster, fearing he knew where she'd been. Even if he couldn't know, even if it was illogical.

"Where have you been then?" He asked as if having read her thoughts. His eyes looked at her expectantly, just like she felt Sherry's and Mr. Crane's boring into her back. The tears she'd fought off successfully earlier threatened to fall again. This time Daphne felt defenseless. She was a horrible liar, but she wasn't ready to tell them. They would never let her hide in her room if she told them.

"Dr. Crane..." She uttered the words and they reminded her so badly of another Dr. Crane – of Niles – and the tears, they started to fall and fall relentlessly. She felt, rather than saw, the concern of Dr. Crane.

"Daphne, are you alright?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" She only realized he had released her arm when she tried to draw away from him. As a result she almost stumbled. Her head was flushed, but she ran past her three observers and locked the door to her room behind her. Outside in the living room, three people were at a loss at what had just occurred. And in an apartment somewhere across town, another one woke up. He felt the emptiness beside him and the cold. Had it only been a dream? Niles sat up in his bed. As he saw the crumpled sheets next to him, he felt his heart skip a beat. Not a dream, but she was gone. He was all alone.

TBC


	4. Early Rise of The Moon

_Chapter IV: Early Rise of The Moon_

Niles spent his night tossing and turning. A few times, he managed to fall asleep for a short moment. Each time he awoke again as soon as his hands reached over and touched the empty pillow where a small piece of paper had taken the place of the woman who had written it. Logically, Niles knew how silly he was to keep the note close by. All it said was how Daphne had to go home, because of her thyroid pills. But her words, while written hastily, sparked hope in him. For a while, he just stared at it. Tried to find a deeper meaning behind the simple message. She hadn't mentioned what had happened, or if she was sorry at all. Niles figured it could be a good sign – or a bad. The inconclusiveness of the situation caused him a sleepless night nonetheless. He had found the note by accident at the door after he'd gone and looked for her everywhere. The only thing that told him she had really been there with him.

The hours ticked on endlessly. All Niles wanted was to see Daphne again. Talk to her. He wanted to touch her, too, but even the thought seemed way too daring for him. So he tried to concentrate on talking to her. They had to talk about what had happened – and what would happen next. Had she been any other woman, Niles would have filed it under nothing serious, just a one-time thing. But it had been Daphne. They were friends after all, so he knew they couldn't just ignore what had occurred in his bedroom. His heart beat quickly just thinking about it. Niles knew how he felt; last night had been a dream come true, but apparently only for him. He had no idea what Daphne was feeling. If it hadn't meant anything to her, then... Niles needed to see her.

When Frasier opened the door, he looked angry. Obviously, Niles had interrupted his breakfast. After all, it was still very early. But he couldn't wait any longer to see Daphne.

"Niles, what are you doing here?"

"Uhm, I came to ask something." Niles fidgeted; not only was he not a good liar, he was terrible. As always, Frasier was almost intimidating. He needed to know everything, but Niles couldn't tell him why he was there and why he needed to speak to Daphne so urgently.

"Not you. Umh, Daphne. I came here to ask Daphne something."

"At 7am in the morning?" Frasier asked him distrustingly.

"Well, it's an early morning question."

"She's in her room." Niles felt Frasier watch him as he walked into the direction of Daphne's room. Passing the kitchen, he heard his father and Sherry talking and laughing loudly. Immediately, he sped up.

At the door, he hesitated for a short moment to gather confidence. He knocked once, but then decided two knocks were more sufficient. Nothing happened. Daphne couldn't know it was him, so he figured there had to be another reason she wasn't opening the door. Niles felt as if something was wrong. A part of him wished he could tear down the door and look like a hero; even if it was a silly thought. But then, didn't Daphne always make him feel funny things?

"Are you sure she's in there?" Niles asked Frasier, who, unsurprisingly, had followed him. His brother looked as unknowing as himself though.

"I haven't seen her all morning, I figured she was in her room. Let's ask dad." The two brothers went back to the living room where Sherry and their father had sat down at the table to have breakfast. They looked disgustingly happy together.

"Dad... Sherry, have you seen Daphne this morning?" Niles asked them. His father considered the question.

"No, actually I haven't. Isn't she in her room?"

"She isn't, no." Frasier answered. He was scratching his chin as if thinking about something and it drove Niles nuts.

"Sherry, have you seen her?" Martin asked his girlfriend who was just about to take a bite from her disgustingly large roll.

"No, I haven't." She answered simply.

"Come to think of it, she was kinda weird last night when she came home." Martin said, contemplative.

"She was?" Niles was nervous. Good weird, or bad weird? Then again if his father used such a word, he probably didn't mean it in a positive way.

"Yeah. Broke down crying and everything. Poor thing." Crying? Niles felt his need to see Daphne increase. He just had to see if she was ok.

"I tell you where she is," Sherry intervened. All eyes landed on her. Niles' were so huge they seemed ready to pop out. "I bet she took my advice. Got herself a man. Why she thinks she has to meet him secretively I don't know. She'll be back once she's sated." Sherry giggled. Niles despised the sound. Judging from his look, Frasier did as well. Their father just looked surprised.

"But she wouldn't have sneaked out now... would she?" He turned to his sons as if they knew. Niles thought how close his father was to the truth. Only that there was a major flaw in Sherry's idea that only he knew about. Daphne had come home after she'd left his apartment. Something must have happened afterwards and she hadn't come back to him. For a moment he considered telling Frasier, but he wasn't sure if he should. Usually, he talked about these things with him, but it was Daphne and he hadn't talked to her yet. First he had to find out where she was.

"Niles? You look sick." Frasier commented on his brother's obvious discomfort.

"I'm just worried about Daphne! Aren't you?"

"I'm sure she's fine." Sherry said and continued to eat. Niles' eyes narrowed, but she didn't see it of course. He wished she would just leave them all alone.

"We don't know!" Niles exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. He was breathless, because of all the anger bursting inside of him, "She might have been kidnapped for all we know! I'm going to..." He didn't finish the sentence, but simply left the apartment.

"Well, it seems like the heat wave has caused some serious damage. First Daphne is all weird, and now Niles, too." Martin shook his head in disbelief and distracted himself with breakfast. Frasier looked first at his father, then at the closed door where Niles had just left. Something was definitely going on.

In front of the elevator, Niles was clueless. Where could Daphne have gone? And why? Why had she been crying last night? His heart felt heavy in his chest. He had to find her, and quickly.

TBC


	5. Pour Some Coffee Over me

A/N: Just a quick thank you for all the reviews! I'm thankful for each and every one of them. Thank you for sticking with this story.

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_Chapter V: Pour Some Coffee Over me_

The moment Roz opened the door, she knew something was wrong. Friendly visits simply didn't happen at 7am. The expression on Daphne's face only confirmed it. She'd been crying, Roz could tell easily. Immediately, she wanted to ask what was wrong, but the way Daphne worried her lip told her to wait just a moment. Instead, she just let her friend in.

"Daphne... it's kind of early." Was all Roz said, but she did so carefully. "Did you... I mean why aren't you home? Can't you go home?" Roz' head was spinning – how much had she had to drink last night? She couldn't remember. It didn't matter. All she wanted was to take some painkillers, splash some water on her and get ready for work. Daphne didn't seem to leave anytime soon though.

"I can't, Roz." The seriousness in her voice, and on her face made Roz stop. Still, she couldn't even imagine Daphne had done anything bad. Roz knew bad and Daphne wasn't a bad girl. Not like she was.

"Why can't you?" Roz had to sit down. Daphne was pacing the room, making her dizzy.

"I've done something. Oh, Roz. What if I lose my job because of this? What if he wants me to quit?" Daphne seemed to talk more to herself than to Roz, who was simply confused.

"What did you do? Poison Sherry?" Roz laughed at her own joke. She knew that no one particularly liked the woman. Except for Martin of course.

"Worse." Daphne said, at least turning around to acknowledge Roz. Her bottom lip was still between her teeth. Her expression had changed from worried, to almost scared.

"You've poisoned Frasier?" For some reason Roz found this idea even funnier. She wondered if they could just put in the Best of Crane if he was out sick. Then she could be sick, too. She needed to be sick. Soon.

"Oh wait, wait! You poisoned Eddie!" Daphne rolled her eyes.

"No, I slept with Niles." Both women were quiet when the truth was finally out. Roz was too quiet for Daphne's liking. There wasn't even a smile on her face. The inexpressiveness felt wrong after having considered the possibility of a poisoned Frasier or Eddie so funny.

"What's, what's so bad about that? I mean unless he-"

"No!" Daphne stopped her and Roz had to hide a smile.

"Did he – he didn't force himself on you, did he? I do know self-defense and hell, I think I could find someone to perform voodoo on him."

"Roz, be serious, please? He didn't force himself on me. We – we just slept together. It was a mutual decision."

"Then what's the problem?" Roz decided she needed coffee. Carefully, she got up and walked to the kitchen. In her head, there was a loud drumming noise, but she could still hear Daphne talking. Together, the two noises almost seemed too much.

"Because, Roz, I used him. I just wanted to prove Sherry wrong, or prove her right. I don't remember anymore. But I used him. I hurt him," Daphne couldn't help the tears anymore. A few of them just fell while she was talking, "and now I don't even know what I'm feeling. How can I ever face him again? What will Dr. Crane think, and his father?" Daphne felt the heaviness of the situation force her to sit down, too. She wiped the tears away, angry at herself that she was crying again.

"Have you ever thought of Niles in any other way than him being this weird little neurotic man?" Roz couldn't imagine it for herself.

"He's not weird, Roz. He's... particular." The way Daphne defended him told Roz more than her actual words did. Roz smiled; apparently, there were feelings there Daphne had no idea about. Or wouldn't allow herself to feel.

"I just think he's weird."

"I think he's cute." Daphne replied in a dreamy voice. Roz felt sick again.

"See, maybe you like him." Roz said, hoping for the coffee to hurry up.

"Of course I like him!", Daphne defended herself, "I wouldn't have... wouldn't have slept with him if I didn't. I'm not that kind of..." She trailed off, and Roz knew why. And she would have been appalled, but she was too tired. There was no denying she'd slept with her fair share of men without actually liking some of them.

"So? You had sex, big deal. You're both adults." The childish melodrama of the situation caused Roz a headache.

"It was just a spur of them moment thing. I didn't think it through, Roz. Neither did he. What if... all the regrets."

"Do you regret it, because it was Niles?" Roz asked a final time. She was holding a cup of hot coffee at last. The hot, reviving liquid gave her a sense of patience she obviously needed with Daphne this morning.

"No. I regret it, because... I have no idea what it all means."

TBC


	6. Let's Just Not Talk Today

_Chapter VI: Let's Just Not Talk Today_

Roz let Daphne stay in her apartment for two simple reasons: She wanted to flee all the tears and melodrama, and Daphne was her friend after all. The woman beat herself up over something that was hardly mentioning. When Roz entered the radio station, she was actually glad to be there. There was no crying, and no one looked at her as if she knew all the answers. Until she entered her booth and found Frasier waiting for her. She rolled her eyes as she sat down, trying to ignore him. Roz had promised not to tell Frasier anything. Lying to Frasier wasn't hard; she'd done it a million times. She did it every day.

"Roz, finally. Have you seen, or heard from Daphne?" Roz was surprised at how distraught Frasier appeared to be. She seemed to be stuck in a weird classic movie where she was the only one with some sense left inside of her. Maybe she was still asleep and dreaming all of this. What a nightmare.

"Roz?"

"What? Oh, sorry, Frasier. Long night. No, I have no idea where Daphne is." She finished and when Frasier continued to stare at her, she remembered that if she didn't know where Daphne was, then she couldn't know that anything was wrong at all. "What happened?"

"Daphne disappeared. We have no idea where she could be, or why she even left."

"Well, cut her some slack. Maybe she's with a guy... or something."

"That's the same thing Sherry said." Frasier's expression was scrutinizing. As if he was a detective and she a witness. Oh no, she'd once role played that same scene with an old boyfriend... she cleared her throat and hoped Frasier didn't interpret her blush in the wrong way.

"But I don't buy that," Frasier finally went on, releasing Roz. He was pacing, like he often did when he was trying to figure something out. Just like Daphne had done earlier. Again, it made Roz feel slightly dizzy. She really shouldn't have had so much to drink the night before. Or she should have picked different friends.

"You know, I fear Daphne doesn't feel appreciated anymore. I'm afraid she might do something rash."

"Like what?"

"Like quit, for example. I would never hear the end of it. Dad would blame me when it's clearly his girlfriend who is causing all the trouble!"

Before she could reply, the phone rang. When Roz picked it up, she almost hoped for a real crisis. But it was Niles. Of course. Like she needed to hear another side of the same, boring story.

"Have you heard anything from Daphne yet? The police are not cooperating! They keep saying she hasn't been missing long enough – how long do they want to wait! Frasier? Frasier, say something!" Niles yelled into her ear frantically. Roz didn't even bother to tell him she wasn't his brother and simply handed the phone over.

"Niles? Did you find her?" Roz didn't hear the words, but she guessed Niles was rattling on about the kidnapping statistics in Seattle and probably in all of Washington.

"Niles, don't you think you're overreacting?" 'You all are', Roz added mentally. She wished she hadn't promised Daphne not to say anything.

"I will not print missing posters, Niles! Well, you do that. Yes. Yes. No. Just hang up, Niles." Eventually, Frasier hung up the phone. He started pacing again, only much faster this time. Roz had to stop this. For her own sanity, mostly.

"Frasier, stop!" He did, and looked at her.

"I know what happened, ok?" Finally, she'd said it. Only Frasier didn't seem as relieved as she was; he looked at her as if he was ready to strangle her. Daphne would probably assist him later, once Frasier had found out where she was hiding.

"Didn't I ask you where Daphne was and you let Niles yell at-"

"Frasier, shut up and just listen. She's at my place."

"Why?"

"Because she's afraid to face Niles." Roz realized her mistake immediately. She hadn't meant to tell him that. Daphne would definitely kill her.

"Niles? What does he have to do with anything? Apart from the fact that he's probably running through the city searching for her. Why would she be afraid to see him?" There was no way Roz could escape the truth anymore. She had to tell Frasier. At least once he knew she would be out of the whole thing again. Movie over, let's all go home. She couldn't wait.

"Because she slept with him last night."

TBC


	7. Who's The Boss

_Chapter VII: Who's The Boss? _

Frasier's outburst was horrible. Not that Roz listened. There were so many words, and some of them were not even in English. So she didn't care. She got the gist of it and that meant driving back to her apartment and talking to Daphne. Her attempts to convince Frasier otherwise fell on deaf ears. They were on their way to her apartment and there was nothing Roz could do about it. She wondered if she should warn Daphne, but then again she didn't care so much anymore. Frasier and his family were a bunch of crazy people. What could she do, but follow along and hopefully end the madness?

Daphne startled when she heard the key turn in the lock. As she saw Roz enter – alone – she felt relived. But the feeling didn't last long, because a short moment later Frasier stormed in. His huge forehead was reddened; he was flushed with anger. At the moment, Daphne didn't care. She was angry herself, but with Roz. She stared at her so-called friend angrily. Roz merely shrugged.

"Sorry, but I'm just too tired to play this game." Roz flopped herself onto the couch and sighed contently.

"Daphne, why didn't you tell us?" But Daphne wasn't concerned with Frasier. She was still looking at Roz, feeling betrayed. After all she had promised her to not say anything to Frasier. Daphne wished she hadn't come to Roz for help. She should have gone somewhere else. Like she shouldn't have stayed with Niles the night before. She cringed. Not because of the memory, but suddenly her brain registered what Frasier had just said: 'Why didn't you tell us?' So Roz hadn't just blabbed about her whereabouts, she had told Frasier what had happened between his brother and her!

"You should have heard Niles yell, Daphne. He was hysterical. It was like looking into a Chihuahua's eyes." Forgetting everything else for a moment, both Frasier and Daphne stared at Roz, who decided to defend her actions.

"They might be small and ugly, but they always look at you as if you could save them!" Roz complained.

"Daphne," Frasier overtook the situation, like he always did, "Please, come home. Dad is driving me crazy. Not to mention Niles. We've all been worried sick."

"I'm sorry about that. But I won't be coming back."

"But-" Daphne interrupted him, shaking her head no. Her expression was one of sadness. The decision hadn't come to her easily, but it was the only way to deal with it. The way Frasier looked at her, she knew he disagreed, but he didn't understand. Neither of them understood, it seemed. Not what all of this meant to Daphne.

"I can't continue to work for you and your father, Dr. Crane. I will be looking for another job." Her decision sounded too final in the small living room. No one seemed to know what to reply.

"My father will kill me if I let you go. Or I will kill him, because who is going to stop me?" Frasier's attempt at humor fell short, and his own smile didn't even reach his eyes.

"I screwed up, Dr. Crane." Roz, unseen, rolled her eyes at Daphne. Frasier did see it though.

"I know about you and Niles. If... he didn't force himself on you, did he?"

"No! Why does everyone think that? No. No, he didn't." Daphne's voice changed from angry to soft, remembering. They might have been overwhelmed with passion at first, but then they had gone slower, gentler. Discovering each other's bodies. But it never should have happened, no matter how beautiful it had turned out to be. Daphne felt the upcoming loss already. She would even miss Eddie. Behind her eyes, she felt new tears threatening to fall.

"Then I'm at a loss. Where is the big problem? Niles has always wanted to..." Frasier realized his mistake and trailed off. Daphne was unsure how to react. She felt the truth of it in her heart. An unfinished sentence still, but she had filled the gaps. Niles had wanted her. Not just the night before, no, longer. So many questions were burning her from the inside; when, why... how? She didn't ask any of them. Her tongue was tied, just like her heart was.

"What has he always wanted?" Roz asked instead of Daphne, curiously. At that moment, Daphne was almost glad for her presence. Maybe she had been wrong after all. Her judgment might have been clouded. She watched Frasier struggle with an answer – he was as bad a liar as his brother was – her heart beating crazily. She didn't even know if she wanted him to confirm, or deny Niles' feelings.

"Frasier, come on, spill. I told you something I wasn't supposed to!" Roz reminded him, but he still seemed reluctant to tell them. He looked at Daphne. There was so much pain and guilt written on her face. Something else, something like fear as well. Frasier realized this wasn't his battle to win, or lose. They had to fight for themselves.

"Daphne, Niles has been in love with you for the last four years." Daphne seemed to choke when she heard the words. They registered, and settled in her stomach. She had to sit down, overwhelmed with too many emotions. She felt a hand on her shoulder, but wasn't sure if the hand belonged to Frasier or Roz. Nothing mattered except for what she'd just found out. Niles was in love with her. She repeated it in her head, again and again.

"Wow, way to go, Niles," Roz's voice sounded far away to Daphne. "But wasn't he married to Maris all this time?" She continued on. Daphne should have been asking the questions, but she didn't find it in herself. Something had shifted. Inside of her; in her heart, in her mind. She couldn't quite grasp it yet, even though it felt so close to her. Almost in reach.

"I know," Frasier's soft-spoken words rang close to Daphne's ear. Suddenly, she seemed to snap out of her trance.

"That's why he never acted on his feelings." Frasier explained to Daphne, now only looking at her. Daphne was still preoccupied though; she thought of all the times Niles had complimented her, looked at her. Smiled at her. All the little things she had considered acts of kindness. He was in love with her. Daphne was torn between laughing and crying. He hadn't told her himself. Maybe he would have, if she hadn't left... suddenly, her emotions overcame her. Again.

"This makes everything so much worse." Daphne cried, covering her eyes to hide herself. To hide her emotions from herself and her two friends. In vain.

TBC


	8. The Greatest Mistake

A/N: Finally the last chapter! Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Please do so one last time. The last chapter turned out longer than planned. Sorry for that.

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_Chapter VIII: The Greatest Mistake_

Like a defiant child, Daphne sat in the car. She had her arms crossed in front of her, staring outside the window. She didn't want to look at Frasier, who was driving. Every now and then, he tried to start a conversation, but she wouldn't join in. 'You need to come home', Frasier had told her while still in Roz' apartment, and no matter how much Daphne had objected, he wouldn't accept it. Then Roz had joined in, suggesting that maybe it was a good idea after all and Daphne had known she was all alone in this.

Mr. Crane seemed to have waited for their arrival; when Frasier opened the door, he more or less jumped up, and waved his cane around angrily. His hair looked messed up and Daphne thought he looked cute, even despite his anger. His sight almost made her smile. She realized how much she would miss him once she left.

"How could you just leave and not tell us anything! Two days in a row! Are you trying to give me a heart attack, cause let me tell you, I'm almost there. You're worse than my sons." Martin yelled at her.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Crane," This time it was easier to talk, because all the tears inside of her were at bay. She knew she could cry once she was out of there. Forever. The thought still hurt, but she didn't know what else to do. All of this was just too complicated for her.

"It won't happen again. I promise."

"You better." He mumbled.

"I mean it. After today, you won't have to worry about me anymore." Daphne said and was just about ready to go to her room and to pack when there was a frantic string of knocks on the front door. Frasier just stared at it, not sure if he should open it. Just from the sound of it, he knew it was Niles. His little brother had caused this disaster. Daphne stood in the middle of the living room, torn between running away and a sense of curiosity. She felt like she hadn't seen Niles in so long, which was crazy. But the last time she'd seen him, she hadn't known. Daphne wanted to scream at Frasier to finally open the door. There was no doubt in her mind, or her heart, that it was Niles on the other side.

"Must be Niles." Frasier felt guilty; he had called his brother without letting Daphne know. He knew she never would have come with him if she'd known. They had to talk about it. Even if he felt like he couldn't leave the two alone together. Who knew what would happen.

"I had to call him." He explained to Daphne, who looked ready to cave. He could only hope that she would thank him later. Finally, he opened the door to stare into his little brother's exhausted eyes.

"Where is Daphne? I can't believe we-" He stopped talking – breathing – as soon as he saw her. Standing there in the room, her feet poised in the other direction. Away from him. In her eyes, he saw the fear he'd felt earlier that day. That dreadful feeling when he hadn't known where she'd gone to, or why. All the while blaming himself for anything that would happen to her, or already had. Niles swallowed hard. She was standing there, albeit too far away from him. But she was there. Her sight was truly one for sore eyes. Mentally, he sighed happily. His lips turned upwards into a small, sad smile.

"What's going on here?" Martin asked; the only person who still had no idea what was going on. Niles didn't hear his father, or he didn't care. His eyes were fixated on Daphne. Like hers were on him. She seemed to be trying to figure something out. Niles didn't care anymore. For anything. He knew he was taking a chance – again – but he couldn't stay away from her any longer. He longed to touch her, in any way she would allow him. In a few quick strides he was by her side and engulfed her in his arms. She went stiff. Niles considered letting her go, with his heart and his confidence broken. Right before he made up his mind, she became lively. Her arms went around him, too, hugging him tightly. Too tightly. It felt like she never wanted to let him go. The hug felt like... goodbye.

"What's going on here?" Martin asked again, almost panicked.

"I'll tell you later." Frasier told him silently. "Let's go."

"No. I wanna watch!" Martin told his son, trying to sit down in his chair. Frasier took him by his arm and dragged him with him. Neither Daphne nor Niles noticed what was going on around them. They were in their own little world.

"Frasier, tell me what's going on here!" Martin complained right before the two were gone. Silence filled the living room. Niles realized they couldn't stay like this forever. As appealing as it seemed to him. To feel her against him again was more than he could have hoped for. But she had run away. Something was bothering her. He had to know. Even if it turned out to be painful for him. Carefully, he entangled himself from her. They were face to face. So close, but there was an inexpressible distance between them.

"You can't believe," Niles needed to take a deep breath. He needed to get a grip on himself and on his emotions. Easier said than done. The scent of her hair filled his nostrils and reminded him. Recalled everything that had led to this moment in time. "You can't believe how worried I've been. You... you're so important to me, Daphne." Niles realized how empty those words were; they didn't do his emotions any justice.

"I'm so sorry for just leaving, I was –" Niles stopped her. He didn't need to hear her apology, it didn't matter. Not yet. First he wanted her to know the whole story. Before she decided anything, she needed to know about his feelings. If he didn't tell her right away, he knew he never would. The time had come.

"There's no need for _you_ to apologize. I never wanted you to feel like this. To feel the need to leave in the first place. I'm sorry, Daphne. For making you feel this way. I'm sorry for not being stronger. You see, there is something you don't know..." Niles felt like choking. Even after their night together, he felt scared to tell her the truth. The truth would have such a tremendous impact on their lives, on their friendship. The fear had always held him back. It still did.

Daphne felt panic dwell inside of her; the words she meant to tell him trapped in her throat. She could neither swallow, nor say them. How badly she wanted to tell him that she did know. She finally knew why he'd always looked at her the way he did. Just like he did in that very moment... she wanted to let him know everything. How she had never seen it and how silly it was of her. She needed for him to understand that she'd grown up differently. With a distinction of classes he didn't know about. The words wouldn't come to her. All she could do was stare at him and hope he would continue talking. Because she couldn't.

"Before, I've always been able to control myself. Granted, sometimes with Frasier's help. I- I couldn't do it. The way you looked at me – and. No, that's only half the truth. You see, for me, this wasn't just a spur of the moment thing. You know me well enough to know I'm not that kind of person," Niles chuckled awkwardly, "Anyway, what I really want to tell you... wow, this is hard... is, I just want you to know this, because you deserve to and if I think about it, I'll always find a reason not to tell you, but... I love you, Daphne. I'm in love you. I have been for a while. You don't have to say anything back, or feel bad about it. I just – I just wanted you to know, because if you ever doubt anything, or wonder why this happened. I... I just wanted you to know." Niles finished. His mouth was dry and he was craving something to drink. Never would he have taken a step away from Daphne though. He looked at her, not sure what to expect.

Silence. Hearing the words, the actual words, Daphne didn't know how to deal with it anymore. She thought she'd made peace with his feelings for her. But all she could think was how they had made the greatest mistake of their lives. He'd gone wrong, and so had she. She hadn't read the signs – all those signs in all these years – and he had been too scared. So they had landed here; a path neither had planned to go. The signs pointing towards a painful, irrevocable future. Daphne couldn't handle it. Her insides told her to flee. Just quit her job, run away and never look back. If only her heart weren't beating so quickly just because of him. He'd know about his feelings, but she hadn't. Not about his, and not about her own. Knowing he loved her had opened up a possibility; the possibility to allow feelings she might have harbored for longer than she cared to think. The memory of his hands on her body returned unasked and she blushed, she choked. She couldn't leave. She could never leave again.

More silence. Daphne still hadn't found her voice, but Niles remembered his insecurities. Her silence said more than any words she might have uttered to destroy him. His only consolation was the memory they'd created. He knew it would live on in his mind and his heart. Bitter-sweet, yes, but he hoped in time the sweetness would prevail.

"Well, I better get going. Please don't... uhm, I'm glad you're back and ok. I hope this won't destroy our friendship," Daphne chewed on her lower lip; he had no idea she wanted to quit. "I'm going to leave you alone now. I need to sleep." He chuckled and smiled. What a beautiful smile, Daphne thought and almost lost herself in it. Still, she couldn't return it. Turning around was excruciating, because it seemed so final. Niles took small, uncertain steps towards the door. Daphne watched and watched. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest, finally freeing her tongue.

"Stop." The words sounded like music in Niles' ears and he turned around again. Daphne felt as if she'd just uttered her first words. They still felt foreign on her tongue, in her mouth. There were so many things she still didn't understand. Things that couldn't be dealt with in one night, in one conversation.

"I'm sorry." Niles came closer still, wanting to say something. Daphne held her hand up, motioning for him to wait. She was not finished yet.

"I'm sorry. This was the greatest mistake we could have made." All hope, all feelings left Niles. For a moment he was certain he was going to faint. Suddenly, a future without Daphne in his life flashed before his eyes. A bleak, dark future he didn't want to imagine. A future that mirrored his past.

"No, that's not... I'm not as good with... what I meant to say was, we started this the wrong way." Daphne quickly explained upon seeing his expression.

"How do you mean, the wrong way?" Niles clung to the shred of hope.

"Well, usually these things don't start in bed," she blushed, "they usually start with a date." She finished with more confidence.

"We've already had lots of dates." Niles walked closer.

"Not officially. Not real dates."

"If it matters so much to you... if you want to, I will take you out on a date every night for the rest of my life." He stopped right in front of her. Her brown eyes were unreadable. Niles was sure she could hear his heart beat loudly in his chest. It only beat for her.

"How about we start with one date? Tonight?" Daphne asked him, finally finding it in herself to smile.

"Sounds like a date." Niles told her, taking her hand into his. They would just start again – from the beginning.

END


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